No One Knows Her As Well As He Does
by TheRiverUnbroken
Summary: The headmistress is lost in her own thoughts when the person she's been thinking about makes an unexpected appearance. **On Hiatus**
1. Chapter 1

_****__Author's Note: This is my first story which I've edited after reading it once again and to my horror found MANY errors (please forgive me!) but hopefully many of them have been fixed. I've been asked to continue the story which I have agreed to do (: _

_****__Thanks to Ro (Refreshingly Original), I now have some great ideas on where to take this story. Please feel free to send me ideas...I could use all the help I can get, plus I want to know what everyone is interested in reading!_

_****__Now onto the story!_

_****__~*No one knows her as well as he does*~_

You wouldn't be the first to think that something was going on between the new headmistress and one of her former students, but then again no one knows much about the private life of one Minerva McGonagall. In fact, this story isn't going to tell you much about her mysterious past but what you may leave about our dear professor is probably more than she ever intended for any living soul to know. So let's begin…

The Great Hall was abandoned; all the students had finally been ushered off to bed after the forever long welcoming feast. At first glance the Great Hall seems empty but if you looked more closely you would've noticed that there was something still in the room. In fact it was a tiny gray tabby cat sitting on the biggest chair at the head table. Why was the cat there? Where's it owner? Well the tabby is actually the Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, and why is she sitting in the dark in her cat form you may ask? Well she's thinking about her dear friend Albus and what he would think of her if he was still alive. Would he think that she deserved to be locked away from abusing her power or would he think it was great that she finally found a man to take care of her and make all of her desires come true? But that's the problem isn't it. The man that shares her bed once in a blue moon, was once a student here at Hogwarts but not just any student but the student that everyone's known since he was a baby. Yes, the man that Minerva McGonagall welcomes into her bed chambers is in fact the famous Harry Potter. But don't misunderstand, She wasn't in a "relationship" with the young man when he was in school that would be absurd (really how could anyone accuse her of that), he was a boy then going thru more than anyone at his age should. She was just someone who gave him guidance through it all, well sort of.

During those hours of sitting alone Minerva realized that she was the closest thing the Boy who lived had to a mother, other than Molly, but she was always left out of the loop when things happened to him. She only found out what had actually happen to the boy when he came to her after the end of his seventh year and cried his eyes out about everything he had faced. At the moment she was so filled with rage at remembering what her former friend and lover had put Harry through that just thinking about that night made her irate! Her famous Scottish temper was starting to get the better of her so she decided she couldn't stand to sit in the dark any longer. Jumping off the chair, she transformed back into her human form; she was a strikingly beautiful witch despite her age, she was taller than most women standing at a height of 5' 9" and raven colored hair that was starting to finally show signs of her true age but it was her emerald green eyes that took most people's breath way just looking into them. But the thing that Minerva loved the most was that her eyes could make a man melt and become putty in her hands.

This gorgeous witch slowly walked through the halls of her school completely lost in her own thoughts when someone called her, which finally freed her from the memories from that night that have been on her mind all evening. She turned and realized that she had passed the very man that had been on her mind that very man, that she had witnessed grow from an abused young boy into the strong man that now stood just feet from her. She walked back to where he was standing and then when she looked up into his eyes she saw nothing but the love he had for her. "Minerva, I've been looking all over for you. Where have you been?"

"I was just lost in thought and lost track of time." She looked at him with her eyebrow raised, "Why are you here? You aren't supposed to be here for another week. Has something happened?"

Harry chuckled, "No Tabby, nothing's happened. I just had some time off and decided to come see you early. I hope that's alright?"

Instead of answering, Minerva turned around and continued to walk toward her office. Harry didn't need her to say anything to understand what she wanted. He shook his head and followed behind her under his invisibility cloak. Even though they had been together since the end of his seventh year, Minerva didn't want anyone to know about their relationship which he understood perfectly well. She was afraid that people would think that she had seduced him while he was a student, which simple wasn't the case in fact it was he who showed up at her door late that night and didn't leave until early the next morning. If anyone thought Minerva would allow a student into her bed they were a fool but then again no one believed that the stern Headmistress was capable of being a wonton witch. When the thought of the world knowing that the stern Headmistress of Hogwarts was as wonton as a common street whore, Harry had to hold in a laugh (because professors doing night patrol walked by him), but under his breath Harry couldn't help but say "They wish they could see her like that! They'd all have heart attacks!"

Finally at the stone gargoyle, Minerva whispered her password "**_amor vincit omnia_**." Once they had gotten onto the first few steps they began their slow spiral to the worn oak door.

"Harry, you can take your cloak off now. How long are you staying this time?" When the stairs stopped Minerva turned around to see Harry reappear from under his cloak.

"I was hoping that I'd be allowed to stay indefinitely."

Stunned, Minerva just stared at him and then finally opened the door to her office. Not saying a word Harry followed her thinking that he had said it too soon or maybe she didn't want him around all of the time. Minerva noticed his discomfort and decided it wasn't the greatest idea to not respond to his statement but instead of doing so right then and there she took off her robes, letting him see her thin green silk under robe.

Seeing Minerva standing there in nothing more than a thin piece of cloth, he knew what she was trying to tell him. He understood that she wanted him and that she missed having him touch her.

"Harry, I want you to stay but if we're going to tell people about our relationship you have to understand that people are going to think that I…that I…"

He knew what she was getting at and stopped her from finishing "I know what people are going to think and if they're fools enough to think that you were bedding me as a student than they don't deserve to breathe the same air as you. Besides I believe it was I who seduced my former professor."

"Oh Harry, I've missed you." Minerva wrapped her arms around his neck. "Take me to bed."

"Your wish is my command." Harry picked the raven haired witch up and carried her to bed, laying her down gently. Once standing again he looked down and what he saw took his breath away. There on the bed wasn't his former professor but the woman he had fallen in love with. She looked like a goddess with her black hair spread out over the white pillows and her body covered in a thin green slip that hugged her every curve. Harry leaned down and kissed her. Minerva being impatient pulled him down onto her. She loved feeling his weight pushing her into the mattress it made her feel safe. Seeing her eyes change into a black green, Harry knew that Minerva was ready for him. Kissing her again he whispered "I love you, Minerva. Will you been my wife?"

"Yes, Harry I'll be your wife. Please, make love to me."

Chuckling Harry said, "Your wish is my command."

**TBC (I have to find the time between exams and my boyfriend leaving on his two year mission to continue the story but don't fret it will be done! Cross my heart and hope to...yeah not finishing that lol )**

**_amor vincit omnia = _**_(Latin for ) Love conquers all._

_Just wanted to remind everyone to leave a review! I'm hoping for some input on how to make this story better!_

_Thanks_

_~*Jeanna*~_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey everyone! Well I was hoping that this chapter would be a bit longer but alas it is not. So I hope that you forgive me this once for this short update and I'll try and make up for it next time. (: **_

_Chapter 2_

Harry woke up the next morning to the sound of an owl tapping on the bedroom window. Swearing under his breath, he got out of bed and walk over to the window. Once opened a rather small owl came flying into the room carrying what looked like a letter from his friend Ron. Harry carefully took the letter off of the owl's leg and handed it a treat from the bowl on the windowsill.

"I better take this into the other room so I don't wake Minerva because she is scary when woken from a good nights rest." Harry muttered to himself. Making his mind up not to disturb his sleeping witch, he walked out into the sitting room and took a seat in his favorite red sofa. Once sitting down, that night all those years ago came flooding back into his memory but before he could even begin to relive that night, he shook himself remembering why he had come into the sitting room in the first place, the letter.

Opening the letter Harry knew right away that it was in fact from Ron.

Harry,

Mum was asked me to invite you over to the house for dinner tonight. I have a feeling she's going to try, yet again, to set you and Ginny up. Honestly, I don't know why she keeps trying! Doesn't she realize that Ginny has been dating Hermione for the last three years? Oh well, it's beyond me. Sorry, Harry I couldn't talk her out of it but I hope everything is fine between you and McGonagall. And no Harry, I didn't tell mum about you two so don't worry you secret is still safe with me…but just to warn you, mum's going to floo call later today to invite McG to dinner as well. Don't ask why because I don't have the foggiest.

Reply as soon as you can with you acceptance because we both know you have no choice.

See you soon mate.

Ron

Harry let out a sigh, just thinking about Molly trying to set him up again with Ginny gave him a headache but pushing that aside he grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote Ron a quick reply saying that he'd be there at 8 sharp. Once the owl was on its way to deliver his response to Ron, Harry made his way back to Minerva's bedroom. When he reached his side of the bed he got under the sheets and pulled his woman closer to him because at the moment all he wanted was to forget about tonight's dinner and just hold Minerva before all hell broke loose.

"Tonight is going to be so much fun!" letting out a quite groan, Harry fell back asleep while trying to figure out how he was going to break the news to everyone that he was going to marry his former professor and that he and Ginny haven't been dating the for the last three years. His finally thoughts before finally giving into oblivion was, "This is one hell of a mess we got ourselves in, Tabby."

_**Just wanted to remind all of you to leave a review!**_

_**The next chapter will be loads longer...**_

_**~*Jeanna*~**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/n: Hey everyone, sorry for the delay. I've been busy with exams and stuff like that. Here's the next installment of No One Knows Her as Well as He Does.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

"_This is one hell of a mess we got ourselves in, Tabby."_

The afternoon sun was creeping into the room between the gaps in the closed curtains and it began to shine on the sleeping witch and her young lover. Harry woke first and decided to stay in bed and watch Minerva while she slept. Just by looking at her while her stern façade was completely down because this woman before him was breath taking. This woman compared to the woman everyone knows as Minerva McGonagall Head Mistress of Hogwarts was strong but vulnerable and that's what made her so beautiful. She could be two different people wrapped into one and no one got to see this other side of her like he did. The woman that was sleeping next to him was enough to make any man fall to his knees in adoration because this is what life was all about.

"You're my goddess, Minerva. Please don't ever change."

Slowly Minerva began to wake. She rolled over and saw that Harry was staring at her. She couldn't help but smile at her young lover.

"Good morning, Darling."

"Good afternoon, Tabby."

She quirked her eyebrow but thought better than to question the young man that was sharing her bed. Instead she began thinking about what she had agreed to last night before they had made love all night. Was she really going to marry him? She'd never married anyone. Everyone assumed that she was secretly Albus' wife but in reality she was only there for him when he needed her the most; which meant whenever the Ministry was annoying the crap out of him. What was she thinking agreeing to marry Harry? She must be out of her mind to want to marry him because he was fifty-five years her junior. For God's sake, she was his former professor and head of house! What would others says if they found out that she was getting married to none other than the Boy-Who-Lived? They'd request she been removed as Head Mistress for sleeping with a student well former student. Many of them would assume she had seduced him while he was a student and they'd throw her in Azkaban. No, she couldn't marry him no matter how much she loved him. She had to let Harry go no matter how much it killed her. She was an old woman, he was young he could fall in love again. Besides he should be marrying Ginny, not her. Ginny could give him children where she was well past childbearing years even though it was impossible it would be almost out of the question for someone her age.

Harry watched Minerva's face change and he knew that she had gotten lost again in her thoughts about their relationship. "She's been doing that a lot," he thought. He knew that she was unsure about their relationship because she was his former professor which made it unethical for them to be together but he also knew that Minerva was the most self-judging person on the face of the planet. No one knew this about the stern Head Mistress but she could tear herself to pieces just because she believed her flaws where what caused all of her problems. When in fact her flaws are what made her the strongest woman he had ever know: she knew how to overcome her flaws to get what was required of her done and she would never complain about what she had to do, not once! But she would always belittle herself for the smallest mistake that would cause her more work or that would cause her more grief than necessary. He'd be damned if he left her tear herself apart again because last time was too heartbreaking to witness and he couldn't do anything other than hold her and then help her put the pieces back together. He should not have told her what he had gone thought during what was supposed to be his seventh year but Minerva had the right to know but the pain it caused her was far greater than he would have ever expected. But right now he knew exactly what was going through her mind because he was pretty sure it was the same thing she had been thinking about last time. No matter what he wasn't going to let her push him away just to protect him from what others would say about him marrying her.

"Minerva," he whispered in her ear but she was too lost in her thoughts to hear him. "Tabby, I know what you're thinking and I'm not going to let you do it. I'm never going to leave you and I don't care what people say about us because I love you. Do you hear me? I love you, Minerva. Please, look at me." It worked she was pulled out of her thoughts by what he had said to her and now she was looking at him with tears welling up in her eyes and he tried his hardest to look at her with nothing but love.

When she finally looked at him what she was in his eyes took her breath away. No one had ever loved her as much as this man beside her did. All of his love for her was showing in his eyes and it made all of her thoughts of forcing him to leave her and find someone else to marry, were thrown out the nearest window because right now all she wanted was to be with Harry. Others can damn her to hell! This was the most important thing that she's ever had in her entire life and she wasn't going to walk away just because things may get tough.

"I love you too, Harry. I'm sorry for ever thinking that you shouldn't be wasting your time with me. But Harry I'm not as young as I once was. I'm an old woman. I don't know if I can still have children and I know how much you've always wanted to become a father. I just can't let you give up your dreams to be with me when I'm going to die long before you do."

"I'm not wasting my time, Minerva. I'm going to marry the most gorgeous witch in the history of the world who just so happens to hold the most respected positions in all of wizarding world. I mean who else could be the Head Mistress of Hogwarts other than Minerva McGonagall? You're stern but fair and you do whatever needs to be done in order to solve problems and you look amazing naked." He smiled, "besides you make the sexist noises when I'm making love to you. Just imagine what people would say if they could all hear you in your bedroom!" She playfully smacked him on the arm as he continued. "Like I said before you aren't old Minnie. You've just experienced more than I have. I'm not giving up my dreams to be with you because my dreams are to be at your side and to also be the defense professor that is if you will have me?"

"I never really thought about asking you to be the Defense professor. But know that you mention it you'd be the best person for the job. You're hired." She giggled.

"Now that's taken care of, let me address your concern about having children. Tabby, you have hundreds of children under you care so no matter what you'd make a wonderful mother. You already know how to deal with teenagers! If we can't have children then we can always adopt, I don't care Minnie if they have our DNA or not as long as we raise them together."

"Oh Harry, I love you. You certainly know how to make a woman fall in love with you all over again."

He kissed her before she could say anymore. "Now I'm going to show you how much I love you." Harry climbed on top of the raven haired witch and began kissing his way down her beautiful body.

"Bugger," Molly said as she ran into the living room and looked at the clock. She was suppose to call Minerva this morning but now it was late in the afternoon. "That's what I get for working out in the garden and getting carried away with those freaking gnomes!"

Molly walked over to her fireplace and placed her head into the flames and called out to Minerva. But Minerva wasn't answering for some reason. "Hmm that's odd. She always answers her floo when I call. Well I guess I have time to pay a visit to Minerva and make sure she hasn't gotten to buried in her paperwork." With that said she grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it down while saying in calm but load voice "Hogwarts Head Mistress's office." And then she was gone.

When she appeared in Minerva's office fireplace, she noticed that the office was empty. "This is rather odd. Minerva is always in her office doing paperwork."

"Hello Molly, nice to see you!" Molly turned and smiled at the portrait on the wall of the former headmaster.

"Hello Albus, do you know where Minerva is by any chance?"

"I believe she hasn't gotten out of bed yet, my dear. I don't think she has any plan of getting up anytime soon."

"She needs to get out of bed, Albus! She's the Head Mistress for pete's sake." Then it hit Molly, "do you think she could be sick? I have to check on her!"

Molly left the room leaving Albus with a look of horror on his face. She cannot find out about Harry and Minerva like this. "Molly! That's not a good idea! Come back, please!" But she ignored him because if Minerva was sick someone had to take care of her cause heaven forbid she ask Poppy for anything; the stubborn witch.

Once she got closer to the bedroom door, she heard moaning and did she hear correctly? Minerva moaned someone's name. No she was just imagining things because it sounded like she said Harry. Molly knew that she shouldn't be intruding on Minerva's privacy like this but now she was concerned that she hadn't heard wrong. Slowly Molly turned the doorknob and walked quietly into the bedroom. What she saw shocked her. She never knew how beautiful the head mistress was. Right before her eyes she noticed that Minerva looked twenty years younger with her hair down and without her glasses. But then again it probably helped de-age Minerva just be seeing her on top of someone. Molly couldn't see who the man was but once the couple rolled over and Minerva was now on the bottom, she got a glimpse of the man. She had been wrong; she hadn't heard Minerva wrong it was Harry having sex with the beautiful head mistress.

Minerva noticed that the door had been opened and she began to look around her bedroom looking for the thing that had opened it but then she noticed that there was a person standing beside the door. "It can't be Molly!" Minerva thought but then she realized that it was in fact Molly Wesley. Once she had this realization her heart sank. "Molly wasn't suppose to find out this way."

Before anything else happened, the two women locked eyes and what Molly saw in the older witch's eyes left her speechless. She was so shaken that she had to get out of the room. She ran out the room back to the fireplace and threw floo powder into the fire and went home to think about what she had learned today.

"Bugger it! I warned you, Molly," whispered Albus.

_**TBC**_

_**Just wanted to remind all of you to leave a review! It's greatly appreciated.**_

_**Thanks,**_

_**~*Jeanna*~**_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello everyone! I haven't had the motivation to write lately, but after having a rather horrible week this is the result. :D Hope you enjoy the next chapter of No One Knows Her as Well as He Does.**

"_Bugger it," said Albus. "I warned you, Molly."_

Minerva and Harry had jumped out of bed the moment Molly rushed out of the room. Harry had no idea what the hell happened but whatever it was could not have been good considering the state of panic Minerva was currently in. But not one to be left out of the loop when trouble was lurking around the corner, Harry followed his lover out into her office. What he found shocked him to his core. There in front of the ancient oak desk was the form of the crumbling Head Mistress. She had come into her office to find it already empty and all she could do was fall into a pile of a heartbroken and scared woman. All she could think was how could this have happened? They had always been so careful. They had always made sure no one would come around when they were together. But then it hit her! This was a surprise visit; they hadn't planned to be together this weekend. But it still didn't matter, it was a Sunday. No one ever came to visit her on a bloody Sunday. What did Molly want?

Harry just stood there watching the fallen witch think through what had happened. He still had no idea what the hell was going on but still he wanted to make sure that his Tabby was alright. He had this nagging feeling that this was exactly like the time. He had come to visit her one night long after his seventh year. It had been two weeks since he had told her everything that had happened during those final months before he defeated Voldemort and when he showed up at her door that night; she didn't answer the door. So he pulled out his wand and unlocked it with a whispered spell. Once he walked into the office he found her weeping in front of her desk, just like she was now. He couldn't bear to watch her fall apart again because of him but what confused him the most was that one minute she was moaning his name and then the next her face turned three shades lighter as if she'd seen a ghost in her bedroom. Before Harry had a chance to as his woman what had seen that would make her react the way she had, Albus interrupted.

"Molly stopped by for a visit."

Harry's mouth made an "o" as he realized that this was indeed not good! "Albus, this is not how it was suppose to happen! This is going to end horribly! They're all going to accuse her of abusing her power."

"Molly may assume that our dear Tabby has secduced you but you have to make sure that everyone understands the truth in the end, my dear boy. Now Harry, you should keep Tabby from tearing herself apart."

"Good idea." Harry walked over to the woman who was still sobbing and sat down beside her. Once he was sitting he pulled her into his arms and held her until her sobs were almost completely gone. Softly he began to speak to the witch in his arms.

"Minnie, I know that Molly found out the wrong way and I'm sorry that this is house it happened, but Molly is a sensible woman. She won't avoid us forever besides I'm sure all she needs is time to think things over. If it helps I'll go talk to her tonight when I go over for dinner."

Minerva, now calmer than before, began to reply to what Harry had said but before she could utter a single word there was a tap on the window. Minerva quirked her eyebrow, "Who would send a letter to her on a Sunday?" Harry got up and let the owl into the room. He took the letter, gave the owl a treat then sat down next to Minerva.

"It's addressed to you. It's from Molly."

Harry gave the letter to Minerva and she opened it with shaking hands. "This can't be good."

Minerva stared at the letter thanking Merlin it wasn't a howler! She began reading the familiar curly handwriting while also preparing for the worst thing that Molly would ever say to her. But it never came instead the letter read:

_Minerva,_

_Dinner has been cancelled due to recent events. Be at the burrow at 9 __sharp!__ You and I have things to discuss. Don't bring Harry with you, this is between the two of us._

_-Molly_

After rereading the very short letter a second time, Minerva let it drop from her hands. No one would have guess that the powerful Headmistress of Hogwarts would be scared of the Weasley matriarch but she was completely terrified of the wrath that she knew Molly was going to bring down upon her once she showed up tonight at nine. Sitting there on the cold office floor thinking about her pending death, Minerva remembered the first time she witnessed the passive matriarch explode.

_**Flash Back…..**_

_**Bella made the horrible mistake of going after the only Weasley girl. Of course Bella didn't think she made a mistake until it was too late. Her attack on Ginny made the girl's mother turn into a true Gryffindor lioness; ready to pounce on anyone who threatened her young. Boy oh boy did the lioness inside Molly come out roaring! No one had ever seen Molly become so angry at anyone in their entire life! Bella just laughed at the short woman standing in front of her, but she didn't remain laughing for long. Bella had underestimated the Weasley matriarch, just like everyone else, but she realized her mistake once Molly started firing curses at the speed of light. Each curse cast held so much venom Bella was soon over her head. Bella realized too late that she would not win this battle; Molly hit Bella with the killing curse which took everyone by surprise. You have to be filled with so much hatred for the person you cast it on in order for it to work. **_A chill ran down Minerva's spine recalling that historic event that had taken place during the fall of the Dark Lord. After that day Minerva had made a mental note not to piss off the mother of the Weasley clan but she had failed horrible! Minerva put her head in her hands. Just thinking about what was to come made her want to curl up into a corner and die. She was such a fool for letting all of this happen. She realized that she had to tell Harry what the letter said so she broke the slience.

"Dinner has been cancelled."

"Ok, does she want to speak with me?"

"No, she just wants to speak with me." Harry noticed that his strong witch was trembling.

"Minnie, she's not going to hurt you." He chuckled at how silly she was being.

"That's what you think. She's not mad at you. In her eyes I'm the one who lured you into my bed."

"Well, you are the most gorgeous woman I've ever set my eyes on. And you are quite alluring when you purr whenever I stroke you." She glared at him in her best teacher glare but she knew it had stopped working on him years ago. She also didn't fail to notice that he was staring at the exposed flesh above her breasts.

"Harry you're not helping! Now stop undressing me with your eyes!" As she said this, Harry grabbed the silk tie that was holding her robe closed. When the knot came undone and the robe revealed Minerva in all of her naked glory, he whispered in her ear, "I'm not using my eyes to undress you, dear. Everything's going to be fine. Let me make you purr. It will make you feel better darling."

Harry stood up and took Minerva's hand helping her up as well. Once she stood up, her robe fell to the floor in a puddle at her feet. Harry began to kiss her neck while picking her up and carrying her over to her desk. She pulled his robe open and pulled him on top of her.

"Oh Harry!"

All of the former headmasters and headmistresses left their frames to allow the couple time alone. All they would hear from the head office was the sound of their beloved Headmistress purring.

**TBC**

**(: Thanks for reading. I'm hoping to have the next chapter up by next Monday. No promises though. **

**Please leave a review! **

**~*Jeanna*~**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay. I had some family issues to take care of. I hope you enjoy the next chapter of **_**No One Knows Her As Well As He Does.**_

**I suppose this story does begun in the middle but then again I had no intention of continuing the story but I received requests to continue but no worries I plan on filling everyone in on what happened after Voldemort was defeated. (:**

**That's that for now (:**

**Enjoy!**

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.***

**Ch. 5 **

"She's late! I can NOT believe that that woman has the nerve to be an hour late after everything that has happened!" Molly's temper was beginning to flare, "I'll hex that hag into oblivion when she decides to get her skinny ass here!"

Shortly after saying this and many more promises to harm Minerva; the floo turned the room a bright green, announcing the arrival of the much awaited guest. Minerva stepped out of the fireplace almost falling flat on her face because her feet refused to carry her any further into the other witch's home. Once out of the fireplace Minerva dusted off her robes with a nervous tremble going through her entire body.

"This is ridiculous! I'm the Head Mistress of the most prestigious school in all of Europe and a grown woman and here I am acting like a scared ninny." Instead of saying the rest of her thoughts out loud for the other witch to hear she instead turned her thoughts inward and told herself, "Everything will be just fine. Minerva just keep your temper under control." While trying to calm her nerves, Minerva failed to notice the other witch slowly making her way to the center of the room. She didn't realize the other woman was even in the room until Molly said spoke.

"It's nice that you finally decided to show up. I've been waiting for over an hour." Molly looked over Minerva and noticed a slight tremble in the older witch's right hand that she was obviously trying to hide but failing horrible. "She must be scared out of her mind. I would be too if I had to face myself."

"Merlin, how'd I not hear her come into the room? My heightened senses have failed me yet again. You're getting old, Minnie." Minerva thought as she was trying to also come up with a good excuse for being late. She did not want to tell the woman standing in front of her the true reason she was late. It would only anger the woman even more if Molly knew that she was late because Harry was busying making her purr. "Sorry Molly, there were last minute problems that I had to take care of before I could come over. Now what is this about?" "I hope if by playing stupid all this will blow over." Minerva thought to herself while waiting for the other witch to reply.

"You know damn well why we're here. I called your office twice and you didn't answer, I thought something was wrong so I decided that I should stop by and check on you. And what did I find? I found the headmistress in bed with one of her former students!" By this point the well know Weasley trait of turning read when angry had begun to appear on Molly's round face. "I want to know why the blood hell are you using your power to seduced Harry into your bed? How long have you lured him into your bed?" Minerva noticed that Molly had begun to wrap her hand tightly around her wand.

"Merlin, she's getting ready to attack me!" Minerva needed to get a ruin on her temper so she clenched her jaw and began to think of all the unkind curses she could send Molly's way if she needed to protect herself. There were so many other thoughts running through her mind and she failed to notice, yet again, that Molly was watching her with careful eyes.

"Are you going to blood well answer anytime soon?"

"I can't answer your questions."

"What do you mean…?" Before Molly could finish her question, Minerva put her hand up to stop the other woman from talking.

"Like I was saying I cannot answer your questions by telling you what happened. But I can show you. Do you have a pensive?"

"Do I look like I can afford a blood pensive? How are you going to show me what happened without a pensive?"

Minerva sighed "Really, Molly did you not learn a single thing from me? Never mind, don't answer that. I'll just transfigure one." Having said that, the stern witch took out her wand and after a few elegant movements, there appeared a marble pensive. Some would think it was a bird bath if they were truly uneducated but then again such is life. After transfiguring the object in front of the two women, Minerva took the tip of her wand and pressed it into her temple. After whispering a spell, she proceeded to pull what looked like a silver thread from her head and then placed it into the pensive for viewing.

"Well there we have it. Are we going to view the memory or not?"

Before Molly should reply, Minerva had already placed her head into the murky water. Molly stepped forward and placed her head into the bowl beside Minerva. Instantly the two women were being pulled deep into the abyss of Minerva's mind and now the truth would finally be told.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

**Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. I'm planning on having the next part up by Friday.**

**Please leave a review (:**


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry about the delay yet again. I've been rather busy with school and then my new job. So I know I promised two chapters…I'll only be posting one today but the other one will be posted within a couple of days (hopefully!). I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far…**_

_**Here's the next chapter of No One Knows Her As Well As He Does.**_

*.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.*

….and now the truth was finally going to be told.

Ch. 6 Almost All Will Be Revealed.

When the two women opened their eyes, they were once again at the graduation of the Golden Trio that had taken place almost three years ago. Molly was annoyed beyond belief because she had been there, what more was there for her to see that she hadn't the first time? Out of the corner of her eyes, Molly noticed that Harry was walking toward Minerva, who had just been appointed the new Headmistress. The memory seemed to have skipped some because instead of Minerva handing Harry his diploma, the two women were standing on the stage witnessing a conversation between Harry and Minerva. Molly hadn't realized that there had been a conversation between the two that night because if she remembered correctly Harry was only on the stage for a couple minutes….

"Congratulations, Harry. I'm so proud of you for coming back to finish school after everything that had happened in the past year. You have no idea how thrilled I was to receive your owl saying that the three of you were coming back to finish your seventh year."

"It wasn't a hard decision to make considering Hogwarts has always been my home and the person I look up to became the Headmistress." Harry pulled Minerva into a tight hug which the strict woman returned with just enough strength as the young man. "Thank you, Professor, for everything. You have always been the one who had my best inertest as number one priority, unlike other people."

"No, Thank you Harry for saving everything that means the world to me, and thank you for returning safely because I don't know what I would have done if you had been killed that night. You are very special to me, Harry; you will always hold a special place in my heart. Just promise that if you ever need someone to listen that you'll come to me."

Harry began to walk off the stage and before he went back to his seat he whispered loud enough for her to hear. "I promise, Minerva."

*.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.*

Molly was completely speechless after hearing the usually reserved Headmistress offer someone a place of comfort. Molly had known the woman since her first year at Hogwarts and even as friends she had never known Minerva to offer anything like what she had offered Harry. But before Molly would form the words that were forming in her head, the memory jumped and now they stood in what Molly assumed where Minerva's private quarters.

The room was completely pitch black and it appeared that the older witch had gone to bed awhile ago due to the chill that was in the air but in the dead of silence there was a knock on the door. But before Molly could even see Minerva walk out of her room to get the door the memory jumped only what seemed like seconds and now the room had been brought back to life with a burning fire. The two women were now watching Harry tell Minerva everything that had happened in the past year while on the run looking for Horcuxes and it was quite apparent that everything had finally taken its toll on the young man because he was crying in the arms of the older witch. Molly would barely hear what Harry said but once she hurt it she knew that she didn't want to hear anymore.

"They all died protecting me. I never wanted anyone to get hurt, let alone die for someone as useless as me."

Molly could tell that Harry's statement had struck a nerve in Minerva because the woman was clenching her jaw and her eyes had turned to a burning emerald green. Molly watched the emotions wash over the stern woman's face and then she noticed a single tear running down her porcelain skin. Molly was shocked, Minerva had never shown any form emotion and here she was witnessing the woman crying for the young man that she was holding in her arms. After a century Minerva finally spoke and when she did her tone made it clear that she wasn't going to allow Harry to think of himself worthless.

"Harry," whispered Minerva " I can't tell you how sorry I am for everything you've gone through but **NEVER** think you are worthless." Before she could continue her voice cracked which caused Harry to turn in her arms to where he could look at her. Had he caused her façade to break? Before Harry could say anything, Minerva continued. "I was so terrified when Hagrid came through the gate carrying a body. When he announced that you were dead….it took all of the will power in my body to not hex the smile off of his face. I wanted to kill him right there on the spot. I felt like my world had just been completely destroyed; like there was nothing left to fight for and then you jumped out of Hagrid's arms and I had never been giddier in my life!"

It was obvious that Minerva wanted to say more but was holding it at bay in fear that she had already said too much. Then the atmosphere in the room changed within seconds….Harry leaned in and kissed the new Headmistress. Molly thought that Minerva would have pulled away but instead the room with a moan that had escaped the woman's mouth.

*.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.*

The memory jumped, leaving Molly rather miffed that she wasn't able to watch the rest of the memory. But before anything else could happen Molly felt herself being pulled out of the pensive.

"Molly, before we continue I want to let you know that that night I made him sleep on the sofa and we didn't do anything farther then what you just witnessed. And before you ask why you can't see the rest of that particular memory I'll save you the time. The rest of that memory doesn't exist. I remember taking a pain draught but after that nothing."

"Alright, Minerva I'll take your word on it but I want to see the rest."

"Fine," Minerva stepped back toward the pensive and looked back to Molly. "Shall we?" like before Molly didn't utter a word, she just took her place beside the elder witch and lowered her head into the pensive.

*.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.*

When all the colors finally decided where they belonged, the two witches were standing in a rather cold and dark Head office. There were papers thrown all over the floor; glass had been shattered and was mixed with small amounts of blood. Minerva must have seen the look on Molly's face because all she said was "I lost my marbles," which only caused Molly to become more confused but then out of the corner of her eye she saw the usually strong witch curled into a ball, muttering over and over again "What have you done to him, Albus?"

*.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.*

The scene changed but not by much, in fact the only difference between the last memory and this one was that the room was warm and the light from the fire killed all sources of darkness. Harry was returning the room back to normal putting papers back on the desk, glass back in the mirrors, and getting rid of every trace of blood along with mending the source of the blood. After mending the wounds on Minerva's arms and hands, he picked her up and carried her into, what Molly assumed was Minerva's bedroom. Even though they couldn't see what was going on in the other room Molly could hear every word Harry said:

"There was nothing you could have done, Minnie. Albus didn't want anyone to ruin his plans and he knew that if you caught wind of what was going on that you would stop him. It doesn't matter anymore what happened, it's over now and I'm here and I don't plan on ever leaving your side any time soon."

After watching Harry walk out of Minerva's room and as the scene began to change as he walked out of the Headmistress's tower, all Molly could think about was how much the young man must truly love the other witch.

*.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.*

When the two women entered the pensive they were witnessing a rather intimate moment develop between Harry and Minerva. The two were sitting on a tartan blanket under an old beaten willow tree somewhere on the grounds of Hogwarts. Molly couldn't help but think that this area was completely new to her eyes. Why hadn't she ever been here before? She decided to ask Minerva about it later. Having decided on that issue, Molly continued to watch the scene before her unfold.

"Harry, we shouldn't be out here together. I'm your former Head of House, for heaven's sake I'm fifty some years your senior and not to mention how morally wrong this is."

Harry allowed her to continue, instead of listening to what she was saying he was staring at her beautiful red lips. He loved to watch them move while she spoke; having had enough of not getting what he wanted, Harry pulled Minerva over to him and kissed her and was shocked when Minerva responded back. Minerva broke the kiss after becoming rather hot and bothered, she grabbed Harry by the arm and without a second glance around their surroundings they were gone with a "pop".

*.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.*

"I didn't know you could do that instead the school grounds!"

"Only the Head of Hogwarts can."

"Oh."

"Indeed, there are perks to being the head of one of the best wizarding schools in the country. I can break some of the unbreakable rules when needed."

"Oh, I'm well aware of you breaking unbreakable rules. One good example would be sleeping with a student."

"You still think that I seduced Harry. Well let me tell you this and I hope you hear me loud and clear because I won't be repeating myself. Under no circumstance would I have allowed Harry into my bed if he had still been a student at Hogwarts. I don't seduce students and I never have, Harry made a choice and that choice was his alone. I wanted him but I wasn't going to act on my feelings unless he returned them and as you have witnessed he did and still does return the feelings. So if you don't mind I'd like to continue with the memories."

*.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.*

The scene changed so the conversation was officially over even though Molly clearly had some words to share with the Headmistress but she held them in. There would be a time to get things off her chest and now was not the time.

A new memory began to come into focus and the two women where once again standing in Minerva's private quarters but unlike the last time the two people were staring into the empty space trying to figure out what their next move would be. It appeared that the two had just ended an intense snoggling secession because Minerva's cheeks were flushed, her hair was falling out of her usual neatly kept bun and her robes were askew. Harry's attire as well was wonky and he was breathing heavily.

The only thought that came into Molly's mind was "Why had they stopped?"

"Harry, do you want to truly continue this? I'm not a young woman anymore; in fact I'm old enough to be your grandmother. If we do continue on this path there are consequences, we can never make our relationship public and I cannot give you children, I may be too old."

Minerva paused and looked over at the young man to see if he was going to respond to her words but she saw no sign that he was going to say anything so she just continued to sit there and watch him for what felt like forever until Harry finally said something.

"I want to continue this and see where it takes us. I don't care if we can't have a public relationship; I'm tired of the public sticking their noses in other people's affairs. After everything that's happened we both deserve to find happiness and I found what makes me happy." Harry stood and walked over to where Minerva was sitting and kneeled before her. "You make me happy and no one is ever going to take you away from me." Harry captured Minerva's lips and a deep moan filled the room. Minerva put her arms around Harry's neck and deepened this kiss allowing her tounge to sweep across his lower lip, begging for permission to enter. Harry reached up and pulled the bobby pins from Minerva's hair, allowing it to fall free all around her.

Minerva pulled away only to catch her breath but then decided to unbutton Harry's shirt because he was overdressed for the evening's events; whispering a spell Harry's shirt opened allowing him to discard it on the floor. Harry stood and gently pushed Minerva down onto the sofa. He began kissing her neck which caused her to gasp and moan at the sensation of hot lips on her cold skin. Harry began to move lower but was deterred by the robes covering Minerva's body, leaning down he kissed her on the lips and without a warning all of her clothes were gone, leaving her completely naked beneath him.

Between gasps, Minerva said, "I didn't know you could do wand less magic."

"There are many things I've learned while on the run."

Moaning Minerva responded, "I'm sure! Harry, I do believe you're still overdressed. Let me help you." Before he could stand he was completely nude and it hit him that he had no idea how to make love to the beautiful woman laying beneath him. Within seconds, Harry had begun to worry and Minerva took notice of the change that had taken place in the expression on his face. (Sorry that rhymed….Back to the story)

"Harry, darling are you alright? If you want to stop, we can."

"No, I want to make love to you but…" He couldn't finish the sentence, let alone look her in the eyes. Harry was too embarrassed to admit he had no idea what to do next.

"Then what's wrong darling. You can tell me." She was beginning to become concerned that maybe they had moved to fast and that he wasn't ready yet. She watched as Harry took a deep breath and opened his mouth trying to figure out what to say but no words came out.

"Minnie, I learned many things while on the run but I don't know what to do next."

Minerva quirked her eyebrow and asked the question she feared the answer to, "Harry are you a virgin?"

Harry turned a bright shade of red and nodded his head while replying with a faint yes. Minerva sat up and kissed him. "Don't worry Harry; I know what to do if you truly want to give me the gift of being your first."

"I want you to be my first and my only."

The scene faded with Harry and Minerva kissing each other with enough hot burning passion to consume the world. Before Molly could protest she was once again standing in her own living room with the older witch.

"Why aren't you showing me the rest of the memory?" Molly was still fuming from finding out about the couple but now she wanted to know every single detail about their relationship and was pissed that Minerva wasn't going to let it happen.

"Molly, everything from that time on is private and is going to remain that way. Besides, it's late and not only do I have a school to run but I'm also old. That being said, I'm going home to get some rest. Good-bye Molly."

Molly stood in slience as she watched the woman step into the fireplace and disappear.

"**HOW DARE SHE NOT TELL ME EVERYTING!"**

*.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.**.*.*.*.*.*

_**TBC**_

_**A/N: Chapter 7 is halfway finished so it should be posted on Monday when I have a day off from work. **_

_** As always leave a review!**_

_** Thanks! **_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**_** Sorry everyone! This chapter has been sitting on my desk for awhile. I'm kind of stuck after this point in the story. Does anyone have any suggestions?**_

Ch. 7

All the portraits stirred once the room became a laminated by the bright green flash of the fireplace; signaling the return of the headmistress. They were all curious about how the meeting between the stern woman and the fiery red head because they knew Minerva all too well. They all knew how the headmistress responded to stressful situations and if things weren't handled with care then all hell would break loose because her rage was legendary and just the thought of being on the receiving end of it was enough to make all the portraits cringe. But since they did know the headmistress so well they all had the understanding that Minerva would only tell them what happened indirectly. The only person hanging among them she would ever confide in was Albus and they would find things out from him second hand or from listening to the conversation between the two close friends.

All of the portraits continued to wait patiently for the woman in question to appear in the fireplace but what they saw when she finally did appear made them all gasp in shock. For once in three years the woman looked haggard and absolutely defeated. What had happened that caused this usually strong, stonewall of a woman to appear so beaten, so weak?

"Tabby, Are you alright?"

Minerva jumped, she had been so lost in her own thoughts, yet again, that she forgot about all of the eyes that were and have been watching her every move since the day she become Deputy Headmistress and then later Headmistress.

"Albus, you scared the living daylights out of me! And to answer your question; no I'm not alright. I almost told her everything plus some strange things happened when I showed Molly my memories. I can't seem to wrap my mind around why it happened."

"I'm sure Molly understands that this is a very stressful situation for you."

"Albus, some of the memories faded our in places they should not have or others ended too soon. Do you know why they would do that when I remember the parts the faded or weren't shown?"

"There are many reasons but Tabby you're tired. You need to go to bed. We'll continue talking tomorrow after you're well rested."

"I suppose you're right. I am rather tired. Good night, Albus."

"Good night, Tabby."

Albus watched Minerva disappear into her bedroom and then let out a sigh. All the former Heads of Hogwarts knew that sigh all too well and they dreaded what was to come. Albus only sighed when something was wrong and he had no idea what to do. But they all waited patiently in the bone chilling darkness for Albus to tell them exactly what was wrong.

"My friends, I do believe that our dear Headmistress is with child."

The room was silent for no one knew how to respond to the news that had just been spoken. But someone, no one knows who, finally broke the silence by saying: "Well this should be interesting!"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: _Hello everyone! Well here's the next chapter of No One Knows Her As Well As He Does; It's taken awhile to actually type and post this but hopefully you all enjoy it! So let the reading begin and remember to leave a review. Thanks =) _**

**Chapter 8 – Ostendere me veritatem (Show me the truth)**

Harry had laid in bed staring at the ceiling for hours while trying to figure out everything that had occurred yesterday; everything was such a mess. Molly had insisted on Minerva coming over to The Burrow without him and when she finally had arrived home, she didn't say a word to him. Harry had decided that it was time to finally do something other than lay in bed all night trying but failing to fall asleep so he got up, put on him robe, and walked out into the office. Hopefully, he would be able to figure out a solution out here because he didn't want to make Minerva's life a living hell. Who was he kidding, her life had turned into a living nightmare the moment Molly had walked into her bedroom, both their lives had been turned upside down in that very moment. Now the only question was where do they go from here? What choices did they have in front of them? And how could this damage Minerva's reputation when they public found out about their relationship? Minerva was right; they would all think that she had lured him into her bed while in was a student. None of them would ever think that they had fallen in love after he had graduated. Come to think of it he had never actually expected to fall in love with his former head of house but it happened and so maybe it didn't matter what other people thought about their relationship because what people think and believe is often proven to be wrong.

All of these thoughts running through Harry's mind weren't going to solve anything but what could he possibly do? Harry had been so lost in thought and inner turmoil that he hadn't heard the voice calling his name, until the voice practically yelled.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER."

Harry jumped a foot in the air, finally aware of the voices murmering and the eyes looking at him in concern.

"I'm sorry Professor. I must have been too absorbed in thought that I hadn't heard you."

"It's alright, my dear boy. No harm done. But I do believe that I know what is troubling you but it will be best if you tell me what is causing you so much grief and possibly I can offer some form of advice. Oh and Harry please do call me Albus since you are no longer my student and well the small matter of me being dead and all."

"Every well Profe…I mean Albus. I'm concerned about Minerva. This whole mess with the way Molly found out about our relationship is more than enough to cause her stress but there have been other things lately that have been raising red flags that something is severely wrong with Minerva. The only thing is I can't figure out what could possibly be wrong with her. Do you know what could be wrong?"

Harry looked up at Albus with eyes that were practically begging for answers. How could Albus lie to this boy…man? He had already been through so much, given up so much for their world. He deserved to be happy. Albus let out a big sigh; this wasn't going to go over well.

"Harry, she told me the other night that when she and Molly were looking at memories; some of the memories were faded or there would be complete parts missing. Minerva herself could remember the parts that were faded out but couldn't recall come of the missing parts. Harry, there are only two reasons why this would happen and they are both life changing for the two of you."

"Alright, well feel free to tell me whenever you're ready."

"Reason one: Minerva could be rather ill."

Albus noticed that Harry had turned noticeably pale which was quite surprising considering his natural skin tone but Harry didn't comment so Albus decided to continue.

"Reason two: Minerva's pregnant."

Harry's jaw dropped. "Pregnant. How could she be pregnant? She told me couldn't have children. I'm going to be a father….or Minerva's ill." Harry suddenly turned sharply toward the painting and asked the question Albus knew was coming. "How do I tell if she's ill or pregnant?"

"There's a spell that can be used for this kind of situation. It's extremely advanced but considering your track record with spells, I think you'll have no trouble learning it in a few short minutes."

The few short minutes had actually turned into a few short hours but either way Minerva was still asleep so now was the perfect time to perform a spell on the witch. Harry walked over to her side of the bed, pointed his wand at her and spoke the words Albus had taught him not to long ago.

Harry had been informed what would occur once he said the words but it didn't stop him from being shocked at the bright golden glow that surrounded the sleeping witch. The next few seconds would be nerve raking because these few moments would decide what color the golden light would turn and Harry was hoping it wouldn't turn green.

"Please not green."

Suddenly, Minerva jerked awake and was confused as to what was going on but when she saw Harry standing next to her with his wand drawn she knew he had cast some sort of spell on her.

"Harry, darling, what spell did you cast?"

Harry didn't answer her because he noticed that the light was beginning to change color along with moving to one location on Minerva's body.

"Harry, what does purple mean and why is it surrounding my stomach?"

"If the light turned green you were deathly ill but purple or blue means that you're pregnant."

"I'm pregnant?"

"Yes with a little girl."

**_A/N: Wow...that was shorted than I thought it was. :/_**


	9. Chapter 9

ஐ Chapter 9: Claiming What Was Rightfully His ஐ

He didn't know what he was going to say when he got there but what he did know was that he had to say something to help make this current situation better. He had a child on the way and everything had to be solved before she arrived in nine short months. But what was Harry going to do you ask? Well he was going to do two things: confront Molly about how she's been treating Minerva and go to his family home in Godric Hollow to get a family air loom out of the family vault. Harry had decided that he was going to do right by his daughter and the mother of his child but in order to do that he had to claim his rightful place as the head of the Potter family.

In order to set things right, Harry needed to start acting like a man and by standing up to Molly would be one step closer to becoming the man he knew he could be. He knew Molly wouldn't be too keen on being told to keep her nose out of other people's lives especially his but he knew it had to be done or she would always treat Minerva badly.

Harry had decided it was time to set things right sometime during the night; he hadn't been able to sleep due to all of the endless thoughts going through his mind about what had happened and how Molly reacted to the news of their relationship but what had bothered him most was how all of this was affecting Minerva. She had cried herself to sleep that night after coming back from The Burrow, he had pretended to be asleep because he knew she wouldn't allow herself to cry if he had been awake and it broke his heart to feel her body shake with heart wrenching sobs. After she had fallen asleep, he decided it was time for him to go talk to Molly. So after leaving a note for Minerva, he had walked to the gates that protected Hogwarts from the outside world. He had finally realized that being with Minerva was his new destiny and he was going to do anything to protect her; with that thought in mind Harry apparated to The Burrow.

"Harry! Darling, how nice to see you! How are you doing with that horrible woman? I mean really she just threw herself at you! What a trollop! I can't believe….."

Before Molly could finish Harry bellowed all of his anger at her.

"ENOUGH! I will not allow you to belittle Minerva, Molly! I'm aware that you think she "threw" herself at me but I was the one who kissed her and begged her for a chance to win her favor. Despite what you believe, Minerva was extremely resistant to my advances but the more she resisted, the more I fell in love with her…"

Molly snorted, "You can't seriously love her! She's at least three times your age and…and…"

"Is that the only thing that bothers you, Molly? I mean really, is it so hard to believe that someone could love the strong, intelligent, and extremely beautiful Headmistress of Hogwarts? I know she's older than I am and it doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that people will assume that she seduced me; which she didn't. Molly, there is more to the woman people see as this stern Headmistress and I'm honored to know the woman not many people get to see and I'm honored that she allowed me into her heart because so very few people are granted entrance."

Molly looked into his eyes, "Yes, Harry it is hard to believe that she's allowed you into her heart because I've known her for most of my life; I've never see the woman you speak so highly of and it scares me that you know her better than anyone else. I'm only concerned about your wellbeing."

"There's something I want to show you. I'm sure Minerva showed you this…but I want to show you what you didn't see." Before Molly could say something she could feel Harry pushing into her mind.

They were sitting in Minerva's private chambers and Molly noticed that this memory was in fact one that Minerva had shown her. Harry was clinging to Minerva crying…but the memory skipped past everything she had seen a couple nights before until it stopped at something she hadn't been shown.

Minerva gently pushed Harry away, "Harry we can't. Please just stay there. Don't follow me. My dear boy, get some sleep we'll figure things out some other night."

Harry watched as Minerva walked into her room and then let out a loud sigh. "I don't need to figure out how I feel about you, Minnie. I already know that I love you, now all I need to do is get you to see how you feel about me. If that kiss was any indicator then it won't take too much convincing to start a relationship. I promise to always love and honor you, Minnie, but can you let me into your heart? Let me mend the cracks that others have left. Let me love you."

Molly could feel Harry withdraw from her mind and all she could say was, "well that changes things and it turns out Minerva was telling the truth."

"Yes, she was and she always does no matter how much pain it causes her. Now that we have things solved and put to rest, I have to get going. I have some other matters to take care of before I return to Hogwarts. I want to get everything to be settled because Minerva's been feeling rather badly when she first wakes up." Harry turned to apparate when he heard Molly whisper, "Morning sickness…Minerva's pregnant?"

"Yes with a little girl. Good-bye Molly."

No one really noticed the young man with the lightning bolt scar standing in front of the ruined home. In fact, the house had been that way for years and this wasn't the first time a stranger was found staring at it. What did catch one person's attention was how the long forgotten wards hummed in harmony as the man walked up to the front door; in all the years the house had been empty, the wards surrounding it had never allowed anyone to enter the gate. The only people allowed on the property were the members of the Noble House Potter and there was only one member left and that was Harry. Could it be him? Was he finally here to claim his title as the Head of the Potter family? Everyone in the small village did notice the magic shifting, telling them that Harry was in fact claiming his birth right as Master Potter. But what concerned one elderly witch was that in order to claim his rightful place he had to marry but who was this woman? There was nothing in the Golden Trio column…only time would reveal who was destined to stand by Harry's side. The elder witch had a gift that only a few knew of and she could see who this woman was and it warmed her heart to know that two lonely people would be destined to be together but she had to laugh at what the public's reaction to their relationship would be. Oh yes, the public will be shocked when they find out who had won the heart of the boy-who-lived.

**A/N:**_ well it had been awhile since I last updated this story and to be honest I haven't really been feeling like continuing. But I made myself sit down and I was shocked at what came flowing from my pen. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. And just a heads-up the next chapter had already been completed. Until next time _ஐ


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Slow Dancing In A Burning Room.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

It had taken all day to get his family vault to accept him as the Master of the house but it had finally relented. Once it opened before him all he could do was stare; he knew his father's family was rich but this was ridiculous! There were loose jewels and gold everywhere the eye could see; along the walls there were books that had long be thought lost to the wizarding world but more importantly there were two rings in the center of the large family vault. One ring was for the Master of the Potter household and the other was for the second in command, Mistress Potter.

The vault had been a pain and a half to deal with but Harry knew that he needed to claim the title sooner or later and with a child on the way, it would be better to have it now. He couldn't believe he was going to be a father! He had given up the idea of starting a family when Minerva told him she wasn't sure she could even have children still but now it was quite clear that she could still carry his child. Then it hit him…He had been gone all day. Minerva must be worried sick about him even though he left a note on her bedside table. Harry decided it was time to close the vault and head home to Hogwarts, to Minerva. Once the vault had been closed and concealment charms had been replaced on it, Harry walked out of the front door of him family home and apparated outside the gates of Hogwarts.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

All the portraits were witnessing something they hadn't seen in many years and it took their breath away (even though the thought of them having breath is a little farfetched). What were they witnessing exactly? They had the privilege of watching the stern Headmistress lose herself in her second favorite field, dance, and she was so beautiful. She moved with grace and she possessed an air of elegance all of her own; just watching her dance you would begin to understand why she transformed into a cat instead of any other animal.

The portraits could feel the wards shift, telling them that Harry had finally returned home after a long day and they all hoped that the young man could witness what his love had released in this strong, closed off witch because he was bring back the woman they had all watched grow up and as time went on it broke their heart to see how she closed off herself from the world. But this young man's love had changed everything and her dancing was proof of that. He had given them back the woman they had all fallen in love with and it brought a smile to their faces.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Upon walking through the gates Harry was overcome with an intense magic that he could only explain as pure bliss. He knew that Minerva was the cause of this amazing magic because she was the only one who was bound to the spirit of the school so only her emotions could ultimately affect the entire school.

Everyone must have felt her magic because they were all wondering around the grounds trying to find and explanation the odd feeling…if only they knew what was truly causing this they would all be shocked.

"I should go visit the beautiful woman who is the cause of this wonderful magic." Harry made quick work of the passages ways to the Head Office; he even took some unknown passages, well unknown to the students for all the staff knew of them and used them quite often so they could avoid the huge crowds of students. Once at the entrance to the office the stairs sprang to life without Harry having to utter a single world, allowing him to get to her oak door sooner.

Once at her door, Harry noticed that music was playing and for some reason it occurred to him that I was muggle music. Harry loved the slow rhythm and began to open the door and what he saw was indeed stunning. Minerva was in a free flowing green dress and black satin ballet slippers and she was dancing across the room like an angel floating across a cloud. Part of the song echoed through the room:

"Go cry about it-why don't you?  
My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room."

And Harry hoped that another song would begin soon so he could continue to watch her dance and then the last line of the song played throughout the room.

"Don't you think we shoulda learned somehow?"

Then Harry got what he had been wishing for, the room was filled with another song. The song was a faster beat then the previous one and it made his heart beat faster to see her change her movements to the new show tempo. The opening words caught Harry off guard and it brought tears to his eyes.

"A.N.G.E.L.  
A.N.G.E.L.  
Just like a shadow  
I'll be beside you  
I'll be your comfort  
I'm there to guide you home  
I will provide you a place of shelter"

Harry could no longer stand there and watch her dance. He had to join her. He quickly walked over to her and pulled her to him all the while placing his hands on her shapely hips. Letting out a gasp, Minerva looked at Harry and whispered, "I didn't know you were back. How long have you been watching?"

"I've been watching you dance for quite some time; you're so beautiful."

"I just felt like dancing. I'm so happy and I just needed some way to let it all out. By the way, is my magic pulsing or is it just me?"

"Yes, my darling, everyone can feel your happiness and to be honest some are worried as to what is causing the intense magic. I'm sure that if they find out who the cause of the magic is they'd all be shocked into oblivion."

"Oh dear! I didn't know that would happen. I guess it's true that you do learn something new every day." With that said she let out a hearty laugh.

"Very true, for example, I didn't know you danced. But Minnie I have something to give you."

"Haven't you given me enough? I mean first your love and now a child, there's nothing more I want."

Harry took the ring out of his pocket and held it out for Minerva to look at. Then once she realized what the ring was she looked at him and there were tears building up in her eyes.

"Minerva, will you do be the honor of becoming Mistress Potter?"

"Yes! Oh God yes!"

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

**A/N:**_ Well here's the second chapter! _

_The two songs that I used in this chapter are:  
"Slow Dancing in A Burning Room" by John Mayer_

"_A.N.G.E.L." by Natasha Bedingfield._

_Until next time 8i8_


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N; Sorry everyone I haven't added another chapter. I just wanted to put all of Ch 11 together. But feel free to check out my new story Always Vampire. (Title may change).**

**Ch 11 **

She couldn't believe what Harry had placed on her ring finger. She knew he was planning on marrying her but this was something completely different than becoming a married woman; she was going to become the Head of a noble wizarding family; she would be an extremely powerful influence on how the wizarding world worked. She was already powerful as the Headmistress of Hogwarts but she was only a half-blood with no wizarding nobility in her family tree so she could only make it so far in the world but with the title Mistress Potter, everything would change.

The world would treat her like royalty with his name and her daughter…..they thought of her, their, unborn child caused a surge of joy to wash over her and her hand moved to her stomach. Their daughter would be born into a better world than either of her parents and she will be loved with every fiber of their beings. Life with the man-who-lived was going to be wonderful and she already knew what her life was going to be like once she married to him based on how he was looking at her while she rubbed her growing belly. She knew things would get hard once she started to show fully but right now none of that mattered; as long as he knew how much she loved him and that he would always be at her side that was all she needed. She loved him with her entire soul for showing her what life was truly about and for taking a chance on an ageing woman who had long lost hope in humanity but most of all she thanked Merlin for the gift they had created together for she never believe that she could become a mother.

Harry was lying on the sofa with a book propped up against his knees but he wasn't reading the book, oh no, he was watching Minerva. He couldn't help but notice that she was yet again lost in thought but he knew instantly what was on her mind when she moved her hand to rest on her stomach. He couldn't help but think about how beautiful she looked; there was this glow about her and it just captivated him. He had the sudden urge to touch her, every part of her.

Harry put aside his book and moved closer to her. When Minerva looked at him there was wonder in her eyes. She was silently questioning him but before she could voice her question, Harry kissed her which made his intentions very clear. Their kisses began to become more passionate by the second and before either of them knew it, Minerva had her arms wrapped around his neck with her hands weaving into his messy black hair. Harry pulled Minerva onto his lap and began to create a path of kisses from her lips to her neck. He knew he hit a sensitive spot when Minerva gasped all the while tilting her head to give him better access to what he wanted. Harry pulled away to look at his beautiful woman and he could tell that she didn't want him to stop. Her bright green eyes had turned dark with lust and desire and her red lips were swollen from him sucking on them.

Her robes were bunched up, revealing her milky white tights to his wondering eyes. Harry reached up and entwined his hands into her hair causing the enchantment to break. Her graying-raven hair fell from its imprisoning bun and rested over her shoulders. He needed to see her in all of her wonderful glory so he removed his hands from her hair and began to unbutton the bodice of her robes. He had gotten halfway done freeing her from her clothing when there was a sudden gust of air which caused him to gasp. When he went to continue to unbutton her bodice he was pleasantly surprised to see that she was sitting on his lap completely naked.

"Banishing charm…aren't we more than a little impatient my dear?"

"More than a little, darling, do you remember our first time? If I'm correct it was almost exactly like this." Minerva kissed him before he could reply. Harry's hands had begun to wonder her body and it caused goose bumps to appear on her porcelain skin. "I remember our first time vividly and I think we should relive it."

Minerva leaned forward and kissed him hard then whispered in his ear something that he knew others would be shocked if they knew what actually came out of her mouth while in private. He kissed her one more time before grabbing her hips and whispering "I love you" while pulling her down on to his waiting member.

HMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHM

Meanwhile, somewhere in the castle (more specify the charms classroom) a very confused Professor was staring at his desk. While in the process of grading some horrible excess for essays two sets of robes appeared. Looking more closely, the professor realized that the woman's robes were the exact ones the Headmistress had been wearing earlier in the day.

"If these are Minerva's robes, then whose robes are these?" He knew that the Headmistress had a secret lover; it was his job to know these things about her because he was her deputy but he had never bothered to ask her the name of the man. She had the right to keep that to herself but he had a fairly good feeling about who the man she had taken to her bed was. Every single staff member knew how Minerva felt for a certain blacked hair boy and they had all hoped that he would gather the courage to show the closed-off lioness how much she was truly loved. Merlin knew that they all loved her but they had no way of showing her because she was so guarded.

"I suppose that I should return these to the couple before they begin to panic about the whereabouts of their clothing." Sighing, the tiny professor stood up and pointed his wand at the pile of clothing on his desk. "Thank Merlin for levitating charms…I don't need to know if Minerva still wears lace under her robes. But I will never forget the day that I found out that interesting piece of information for she turned me into a yellow spotted newt."

Professor Flitwick was having a hard time understanding how in the world he got into his current situation; he was about to knock on the Headmistress' door with two sets of clothing neatly folded in his arms. Once Flitwick knocked on the old oak door he realized how odd it was that he had actually had to knock when normally it would open once he had reached the top of the stair case. "I wonder if Minerva is alright." He thought "she usually senses my magic which is quite unnerving to be perfectly honest."

After waiting for several minutes, the tiny professor's concern was growing by the second. "Bloody hell, if something happened to her…" He dropped the clothing on the steps and went to push the door open only to realize it was locked. Muttering under his voice, he noticed the slight glow coming from the door.

"Of course you locked the door AND had to add a damn silencing spell…why did I even teach you the strongest versions of those spells? I must be blood stupid." Closing his eyes, Flitwick focused on the door trying to sort out the two different spells. "Oh Minerva, you're slipping."He said with a smile. Opening his eyes he preformed the counter charm for the silencing spell and now had to undo the locking charm which all he had to do was look at the lock and whisper "**Alohomora**".

Once the door opened the tiny man picked up the clothing and walked haphazardly into the office but to his surprise the room that appeared in front of him wasn't the office but instead a sitting room.

"Odd. I wonder why I've been allowed to enter Minerva's private quarters—usually you need permission from the Head or someone who is related to the head to enter private quarters—where is Minerva?"

Flitwick walked further into the room and saw out of the corner of his eye something moving on the sofa. "I bet she fell asleep reading by the fire…" He stopped short once he got a clear view of the sleeping figure.

"Oh Minerva Darling, you're pregnant."

MHMHMHMHMHMHMHM

A/N: I'm aware that I haven't been too clear on the timeline with this story and for that I'm sorry (to be honest I'm kind of confused myself so that's why I'm making this note). By the beginning of Chapter 11 Minerva has started to show but has placed charms on her robes to keep it hidden (only Harry, Minerva, and Poppy know until the end of chapter 11 that is). So to make things fair let's just say she's….4 ½ months pregnant when Flitwick find her sleeping naked by the fire. And where's Harry? _**Chapter 12 is currently being written.**_


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: It's been awhile since I updated this story and I'm sorry about that. But here is the long awaited chapter. **

**So without further delay….**

Chapter 12 – Regaining what was lost

They all watched her as she walked down the corridor; they would look away whenever she would make eye contact. She found it funny that they actually believed that she hadn't noticed them watching her out of the corner of their eyes but she knew. How would she not when they've been watching her every move since she removed her glamour four months ago. They were all shocked when she had walked into the Great Hall that morning wearing robes that showed off her growing belly. Her colleagues gave their congratulations but their eyes gave away their confusion and their desire to know more. They were dying to know who the father was while the students were all surprised that a witch her age could still have children. They never said any of this to her face of course but she heard the whispers conversations as she passed them and the whispers were always a reminder that he'd been gone without a word for four months leaving her to suffer through all the rumors alone.

She knew they were all worried about her considering how much she'd changed – she no longer stayed long after dinner was over to chat with her friends and more times than not she would be locked away in her rooms leaving the school in the hands of the staff and when she wasn't locked away in her rooms she was walking around the corridors at all hours of the day. She had heard from the staff's whispered conversations that when she would walk around the school it seemed that she was lost in her own world and that everyone around her was no existent. They would talk about how she was never around to help with running the school and that they were overwhelmed without her guidance but what was she to do? She was alone and pregnant.

Suddenly something prevented her from continuing to walk. Letting out a deep breath she blinked and tried to stop the constant thread of thoughts running through her mind. She was then reminded that she was in fact walking the halls and that she hadn't even realized what she was doing and now she had walked into someone. She really needed to stop walking around the school lost in thought because this is the second time today she had walked into something. The first time, she had walked into a statue but now what had she walked into?

She looked around the dimly lit hall and didn't see anything that would have blocked her path.

"What could I have walked into?" Quirking an eyebrow wondering if she truly was losing her mind after all until a voice reached her ears.

"Well if you were paying attention then I wouldn't be on the floor. Mind helping an old woman off the floor, Minerva?"

Startled she looked down and realized who she had walked into; it was none other than her dear friend Poppy. Smiling Minerva offered her hand to the fallen woman.

"Of course, it's the least I can do considering I'm the reason you ended up on the floor." Before helping her friend back onto her feet, she looked into her friends eyes and with a pained expression said, "I'm sorry Poppy. I was lost in thought and didn't see you."

Taking Minerva's offered hand Poppy was lifted back onto her feet and began dusting herself off and while doing so she managed to take a quick look at her friend trying to figure out what was wrong. She had tried many times to get Minerva into the hospital wing in order to do an actual exam to check the development of the baby and the well being of Minerva herself but she would refuse. It worried Poppy a great deal that Minerva was pushing her away and obviously hiding something from those who cared deeply for her. It also worried Poppy that Minerva wouldn't listen to reason. Normally Minerva would put up a fight but once she was reminded of her responsibility to protect the children who attended the school she was in charge of , she would give in but every time it had failed to make her see the concern in her friend's eyes. Yes, it bothered Poppy a great deal that Minerva was blind to the worries of her friends but why couldn't she see what was going on? What was Minerva afraid would be revealed if she consented to an exam? She needed to at least time one more time to get Minerva to consent but she also knew that her friend wouldn't deal well with how she was about to state her demand.

"You seem to be lost in thought a lot these days, Minerva. But no worries no harm done. Now I have a few questions and you need to answer them Minerva." After knowing Minerva as long as she had, it didn't take long to notice Minerva's temper flare at what she said but she had been prepared for it.

"Why the bloody hell should I answer anything, Poppy? You keep badgering me to consent to an exam and I keep refusing! I am fine! But everyone seems to think otherwise. You think I haven't noticed that everyone is dying to ask me questions about who the father of my child is or that the students think I'm too old to even have a child. I hear everything and I wish to bloody hell that I didn't but I can. I hear the conversations about my age as I walk by a group of students and I hear the whispers at meals about how I can no longer run this school. I'm pregnant, Poppy. The man I love has given me what I have always wanted and he's been gone for four months without any word as to his whereabouts and you want me to answer some questions! Go ahead Poppy ask away. You might as well since you won't stop nagging me until you get everything you want that's how you've always been and I don't see you changing anytime soon."

Poppy couldn't believe what she had just heard come out of Minerva's mouth. They had been friends for over sixty years and never once had she said anything like that to her nor have they ever yelled at each other. Poppy knew it was a bad idea to let go of all of her frustration and anger on her friend but she couldn't hold it in any more. If Minerva was going to yell and scream then fine she'd give Minerva a piece of her mind too.

"You damn stubborn witch! We are all concerned about you not because you're pregnant –which was a shock but we're all thrilled for you because we know that you've always regretted not having children—but because you are family to us all. You are like a sister to all of us Minerva and we want the real you back! We're worried because one day you seem to be back to your normal self and then the next thing we know you're nowhere to be found. Yes, we want to know who the father is and why you have been hiding him from us. Yes, everyone was shocked to learn that you were pregnant not because of your age but because one day you look like you always do and then the next you walk into the Great Hall showing almost five months along in your pregnancy. Yes the students talk about your age or the fact that you're pregnant but it's because they're blood children. It's what they do and you know it! You go from one extreme to the other; it's like day and night with you lately. One day you're prancing around the school and the next you isolate yourself in your rooms but as of late you are so far away lost somewhere in that brilliant mind of yours that you only go along with the motions and it shows!"

Needing a chance to catch her breath Poppy paused but then quickly continued before Minerva had the chance to argue back.

"I'm deeply concerned about you, Minerva. I've known you since we were 11 years old and never once had you locked me out. I want to know who this mysterious man is who's swept you off your feet and then left you pregnant and lost. Dammit, Minnie, I want to know what's going on with you and I want to know if your child is healthy because it's about damn time you had a child to call your own."

Poppy had tears running down her cheeks which caused Minerva to step closer to her friend. Minerva was no longer angry at her friend for trying to get her to consent to an exam anymore. All she wanted to do was let Poppy know that she understood and that she was sorry for everything she had said and done. She couldn't stand seeing her friend cry so she gently wiped the tears away hoping no more would appear.

"Please Minerva let me look at the two of you so I can stop worrying. Let me be the person you tell all of your secrets to like you did when we were children. You and that baby are the only family I have left so please let me in again."

Poppy placed her hand on Minerva's belly hoping that her words had sunk in. Poppy looked into her friends green eyes and saw tears forming. Taking a deep breath and placing her hand on top of Poppy's, Minerva whispered her consent.

"All right Poppy, take me to the hospital wind and I'll tell you everything."

The two women walked in silence toward the hospital wind and once they reached the door Minerva pulled her friend into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry for locking you out, Poppers. You're right; we are family dear and family stick together no matter what. Thank you for reminding me that. Now, let's check on your godchild."

"You want me to be the child's Godmother? You truly mean it Minnie?"

"Yes, Poppers. You are the closest I have to a sister and you are the only one who has ever been brave enough to call me out on my stupidity. This baby will need someone to teach them how to be so brave."

"Damn straight I'm the only one brave enough and it's about time you noticed." She let out a hearty laugh. "It's good to have you back, you smart ass. Now get your ass on that bed so I can check the baby."

Minerva let out a sigh and it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders but she did as she was told by Poppy because her friend was no one to mess with when it came to following directions. But it felt good to have her friend back.

Smiling the two women began laughing at how they had reached this point and they knew why they had become friends all those years ago. They balanced each other out and it reminded them that they were never truly alone.

* * *

"Poppy really how long is this going to take? It's been nearly three hours and the wait is making me nervous that something is wrong with the baby. Please tell me that everything is all right."

Poppy could hear the worry in her friend's voice but she wasn't going to give in just yet.

"Impatient, much Minerva! Even magic takes a little time to go through everything, now if you would have let me do this sooner it wouldn't be taking so long. But no, you wouldn't let me until now. You're eight months pregnant and not a single test has been run so I have to do them all now in order to make sure the baby's development is on track. Oh, don't glare at me like that you know it won't work on me and it never has. While we wait on the results to be finished you have some things to tell me so spill, McGonagall. Tell me all the details I have longed to know for months."

"All right Poppers but please hold your knickers on. I have to find my courage to tell you everything."

Laughing Poppy replied, "you have to be wearing knickers in order to hold them on dear and besides when does the Mighty McGonagall have to finder her courage?!"

"You never change Poppy."

"Nor do you when it comes to delaying so spill before I tickle it out of you."

"All right here we go but for your information I'm not the one that spills all of their secrets when ticked that would be you. So Poppy, what do you want to know?"

* * *

Minerva was sitting on the hospital bed waiting for her friend to respond to everything she had just learned. Poppy had made no movement since Minerva has stopped talking and she was beginning to regret spilling her secret to her friend. The silence that filled the room was killing her and still Poppy hadn't said a word.

"Poppers…say something please."

Poppy blinked, opened her mouth and then closed it again only to open it again.

"You little hussy," she giggled, "you really haven't changed one bit! I'm so happy for you dear but why did you keep this from me for so long?"

"I take offense to being called a hussy. I haven't been a hussy since I was sixteen. Nowadays I prefer the phrase wanton witch. Oh Poppy, I don't know why I didn't tell you, maybe I was just afraid of what you would think but I was so very wrong."

Minerva watched as her friend let out another hearty laugh and then listened to her reply. "Wanton Witch…that's a new one and the Mighty McGonagall admitting she was wrong? The shock, the scandal this will create! You Minerva McGonagall is never wrong according to the reputation you have built but don't worry I'll keep it to myself that the real Minerva McGonagall doubts herself but there is something I have to admit…."

"What?!"

"The results are done but that's not what I have to admit. Which do you want to hear first?"

"The results and then what you have to tell me."

"All right well let's see. According to this everything is normal and the baby is healthy and so are you. Would you like to know the sex of the baby?"

"No I already know. But you can now tell me what you have to admit because I'm dying to know what you've kept from me."

Confused that Minerva already knew the sex of her baby but she let it go because she had to tell her friend what she had known for many years. "I have to admit that I knew how you felt about the young man and I had for many years. Oh don't be surprised you are horrible at hiding your feelings from people we just let you think you are good at hiding from us. I knew because of all the time you would spend watching over him while he was in my ward. I would come out of my office to check on him only to find that a certain grey tabby would be curled up beside him. I would do what I needed and then leave but I always knew you were there with him, Minerva. But what you didn't see while you were sleeping was that he would wake up in the middle of the night and see you either in a chair by his bed or curled up in your cat form beside him. He knew you came to visit him but he never let you know because he loved having someone who cared about him as much as you did. I watched as his love for you changed from that of a young boys love for a mother into a love a man has for a special woman. I knew that he felt the same way about you that you did for him but I couldn't do anything to help the two of you. I only hoped that he would make the first move and I prayed that you wouldn't send him packing which would have broken your heart and his. But you didn't send him away, you let him in and I'm so happy for you but there are some things I want you to promise me before I let you leave my ward. I want you to pay more attention to your surrounds so you don't knock anyone else down and I want you to somehow find a way to tell the staff because they are all worried about you. And before I forget, I want you to promise to always remember that you aren't alone."

Minerva got off the bed, hugged her friend, and walked to the door of the hospital wing but before walking out she turned around and smiled at her friend and said, "I promise."

* * *

After leaving the hospital wind, Minerva wanted to return to her rooms but decided to take a walk out on the grounds first. It was a lovely day and the fresh air would do her and her baby some good besides she felt so much better after reconnecting with her friend so why be locked away longer than necessary?

Once outside, she felt even lighter and her soul felt free again after being locked away for so long in the dark isolated place she had created once he left. The birds were singing, the flowers were in bloom and the students were enjoying the weather in between their classes.

Some of the students noticed the Headmistress and were watching her wondering what was going on because it had been months since she and even stepped foot outside the castle walls but no one bothered her since she seemed to be happy once again. It was nice to see the strong woman smiling and it seemed the school itself felt the same way the students did. The school was surrounded with a magic that they had felt only once before many months ago but unlike then they now knew what the source of the magic was. It was the Headmistress who was filling the school with her magic as her emotions soared and her magic affected everyone. Their moods were once again lightened and they were filled with happiness that Hogwarts was once again under the control of their beloved Professor and they would do anything to make sure she stayed happy.

* * *

After exploring the grounds, Minerva turned back toward the castle and she didn't mind that her students were watching her every move because instead of whispered comments they were smiling at her and it felt wonderful to be loved again. These young men and women were her family and it warmed her heart to know that they had been concerned about her and now they were happy to see her back to her old self.

"It's good to be back! I'm such a fool for thinking I was all alone and that no one cared about me. Now I need to catch up on all the paperwork I have neglected these past months so that they students know that I am doing everything I'm suppose to in order to give them a safe place to learn and create lasting friendships."

With determination in her steps, Minerva returned to her rooms and made her way to her desk to start on the paperwork that had piled up there over the last few months. She knew it would take longer than just one day to catch up on everything but she had to try and get as much as possible done because it was her responsibility to do so. She only stopped working to make her way down to dinner and having talked to those sitting next to her at the head table she looked out at the students and gave a radiant smile. Once dinner was finished and the students returned to their dorms, Minerva addressed her dear friends.

"I know that these past few months you all have been concerned about my well-being and I also know that I acted rather badly towards many of you. I'm truly sorry for how I have acted these past few months and for also pushing all of you away. I hope you all accept my sincere apology because I know it was right to leave all you in charge while I was lost in my own little world. It was made clear to me what I had done to all of you by Poppy earlier today and now things will return to how they were before. I will once again take on my responsibilities as Headmistress of this school and also as your friend. You are all my family and it means a great to me that you all know about the secrets I have been keeping for some time now."

She paused to give them all time to realize what she was about to share with them and once she could see the realization in their eyes she continued.

"As you know I am eight months pregnant and it has brought great joy to know I will finally have a daughter but also a husband that loves me with his entire being. All of you have been dying to know who the father of my child is but all you of you already know him. He has walked these halls and sat in each of your classes' room including my own since he was eleven years old and he has fought alongside us to protect this school and those that reside here at Hogwarts along with fighting to save the very world we live in. The man I have fallen in love with grew up within these walls and it was my job to protect him while he discovered who he was and it has been an honor to watch him grow into an incredible man and I'm very honored that he choose me to be his other half because I have long given up on finding love. Please don't think badly of me my friends for I fell in love with him while he was in my care but I never acted on it until he came to me and expressed his feelings for me. He will not only be living here at Hogwarts with me and our child but he will also be taking on the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts come next school year but is also something else that will be taking place before the next school year. After hiding our relationship for two years, he has asked me to marry him and I said yes. My friends, the name of my soon to be husband is none other than Harry James Potter."

* * *

Minerva was shocked that her colleagues weren't surprised to find out that she was to marry Harry. They had told her that they knew he had feelings for her and that they hoped he would act on them one day. They all congratulated her again on having a baby and then on her soon to be marriage and departed the Great Hall happy to know the Headmistress' secret. Minerva had been shocked to find out that not only had Poppy known about Harry's feeling for her but that the entire staff knew. "Why did I never notice!?" was the only thing that came to her mind as she began to walk out of the Great Hall in order to secure the castle for the night.

After locking the entrance doors, Minerva made her way back to her rooms to continue working on the piles of paperwork she had abandoned to go to dinner. But once inside of her rooms, she noticed that the room held another's presence and it worried her to know someone was in her office without her consent for the wards would never admit anyone without her permission. There was only one person would could enter her rooms freely but he had disappeared without a trace. The only conclusion she could come to was that her house elves let someone into her rooms but why?

She was beginning to panic. She held her wand tight in her hand and began to search her rooms with the silence and grace of her inner cat. Her office was empty and to her disappointment the paperwork was in fact still sitting on her desk waiting to be finished. "It would have been nice if they finished all of that for me but no they decide to hide somewhere in my private quarters." Frustrated, she continued making her way toward her private quarters. The living room was empty and that only left one room, her bedroom.

She could feel her anger growing as she stepped closer to her bedroom door. Someone had entered her office without her consent only to get into her bedroom of all places. What could they possibly want from her bedroom? Maybe get some juice details about the Headmistress' personal life…"they picked the wrong witch's bedroom."

She opened the door with her wand drawn while her heart raced in her chest. She was expecting to find someone going through her personal belongs but instead what she found caused her to drop her wand and run towards the bed. There in her bed was the very man she had been talking about in the Great Hall mere minutes ago the very man that haunted her dreams since he left almost four months ago. Minerva's mind was racing but the question that she desperately needed answered was, was he truly there or was her mind playing tricks on her again?

Slowly she reached out praying to Merlin that her hand would touch the flesh she had deeply missed. She left out a sob when her hand made contact with his warm skin. He was really there, she couldn't believe it. She needed to hear his voice.

"Harry you came back! I have dreamed that you were beside me at night for months only to wake up and you would still be gone." Her sobs were getting louder waking the sleeping man.

He opened his eyes and looked up at Minerva. She was sobbing and hadn't noticed that he was wake so he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into bed with him. Pulling her trembling body closer, he whispered in her ear. "Tabby, I'm here. Shh darling. I'm sorry I left without a word but I'm back and I'm not going anywhere ever again." He placed his hand on her protruding stomach and let out a laugh when he felt his child kick for the very first time. "Oh Tabby, you look so beautiful. Look at you with our child growing inside of you. I'm sorry that I left you alone for so long but I promise I will explain everything in the morning. Rest now, I'll hold you till morning." He placed a kiss on her neck and watched as the love of his life fell asleep quickly following her into the dream world.

**TBC**

* * *

**A/N: What do you think? Was it worth the wait?! Please leave a review!**


End file.
